Silence had fallen over the smoking ruins. Rial, still kneeling on the soiled earth, had dug two graves with his bruised hands. The ground was hard, but he hadn't stopped striking, again and again, until two pits were formed. His fingers bled, his nails were torn, but he hadn't complained.
When the bodies of his father and mother vanished into the light, he gathered the few fragments of his father's armor and his mother's brooch, and placed them in the earth.
He remained silent for a long moment. The wind whipped his black hair, but his gaze remained fixed on the makeshift graves.
"I promise you… I will become strong enough to avenge them. And I will destroy Zephyr."
A voice echoed in his skull, mocking and dark.
"Promises, again and again… You sound just like your father. But he's dead."
"Shut up, Zuma."
"Oh, I see… you really think you can take on the demon god with your trembling little fists? Hahaha! Pathetic! But… I can feel your hatred. Your pain. It's delicious."
Rial gritted his teeth but continued on his way, leaving the ruins behind. The night was deepening, and the air still smelled of ash.
Suddenly, an icy presence made the air shimmer.
A figure rose up in the middle of the path. Its skin was grayish, its eyes completely black, its mouth stretched into a monstrous grin. Two curved horns protruded from its forehead, and its forked tongue clicked in the air.
A demon.
"Rial Silva… son of Rhinichiro, hmmm?" "My master sent me to ensure you join your parents in the grave," the creature hissed, its voice echoing.
Rial took a step back, his fists trembling.
"Zephyr…" he murmured.
"Hehehe… he already knows who you are, kid. You're a threat to him. Do you hear? A THREAT! That means you're special… but only if you accept my strength."
"I don't need you for that!" Rial shouted, charging.
He tried to strike, but the demon dodged with a leap and swung its long arm like a whip. Rial was thrown against a rock, his back crushed against the stone.
He coughed up blood.
"You are weak. Just as your father was before my master." "
These words made Rial's blood boil. His eyes widened, and the pain in his body exploded. Black veins began to creep across his skin, and a dark aura enveloped him.
"Yes… yes… let me out. Let me give you my strength. Slay him, and show him that you are the demon's heir!"
"NO! I'll fight!" Rial roared.
His fist blazed with dark energy. When he struck, the entire ground trembled. The demon, taken by surprise, was sent tumbling in the dust, his chest crushed.
He immediately rose, his grin even wider.
"Interesting… the demon within you is awakening. But you cannot control it. You will be devoured from within."
Rial, panting, staggered. Zuma's energy boiled within him, threatening to shatter him.
"Go on, Rial! Give me your body, and I'll reduce it to dust. Let me devour his flesh!"
"Shut up! I'm the one who... decides!"
He leaped forward, taking the demon's blows, but instead of falling, he gripped his throat. His eyes glowed with a scarlet light.
"Tell Zephyr... that I'll come for him!"
With a howl, Rial drove his fist into the demon's chest. A wave of darkness erupted, disintegrating the creature with a cry of agony.
Breathless, Rial fell to his knees. His breathing was heavy, his black veins still throbbing on his skin.
"Magnificent... absolutely magnificent. You tasted my power, and you liked it. Admit it." "
Rial gritted his teeth, staring at his trembling hands covered in black blood.
"If I must use your strength to survive… then I will. But don't think for a second that I'll become your puppet."
A demented laugh echoed in his mind.
"We shall see… heir. We shall see."